


angels have calloused hands

by JaguarCello



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: M/M, for Helen, post-postponed apocolypse, the world after the end of it all is filled with red tape
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-16
Updated: 2014-02-16
Packaged: 2018-01-12 17:58:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1194342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaguarCello/pseuds/JaguarCello
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The world ended with the crunching of metal and the crashing of waves. <br/> Life after that was very different.</p>
            </blockquote>





	angels have calloused hands

The world ended with the crunching of metal and the crashing of waves.

Afterwards, when Raleigh and Mako were clutching at each others’ hands as if their fingers alone would hold them up, when they were back to bury the dead and cast the kaiju back into the sea, Raleigh would say this to the reporters who thronged them, because it sounded good. The reality was that even the kaiju-graves would not be deep enough to fill the empty spaces in the ranks or the abandoned umbrellas and sandwiches on the streets, and no matter how blue the ocean was, it could not hide the red mist which drifted across the moon.

 Perhaps he was just being selfish, though. The apocalypse had been cancelled after all, and as people began to filter back to their old lives, they all seemed to adjust well enough. A month after the attack on Hong Kong, Newton Geiszler kissed Hermann Gottlieb and then Vanessa; by all accounts (read: postcards in a messy scrawl from Newt) they were happy and healthy and somewhere in Germany. Raleigh picked the most recent one, which writhed with tentacles – some sort of _shunga_ , Mako told him – and flicked at the battered corner of it. Post took a while to arrive in Hong Kong, still a hub of activity.

“Chuck’s back,” Mako told him, and took the postcard out of his hands.

When the bomb had gone off, Chuck had made it out, but his father didn’t. Chuck had washed up, badly burned, on the beach, and as soon as he had had so much surgery that they thought he could never pilot another Jaeger, had promptly left for Sydney. He had been on the news – they all were now, all heroes – and the reports had shown him standing by the graves of his parents, pale-faced and still bruised.

Raleigh shifted positions, leaning to favour his left hip, and carefully traced a pattern in the floor with his toe before answering. “I know,” he said carefully, taking the coffee she offered him. “Thanks,” he added, and she nodded. She only ever made him coffee when she wanted something, and so he braced himself for the onslaught. Nothing, even the kaiju, was as terrifying as Mako Mori on the warpath.

“He blames himself for his father’s death,” she said, prodding at him with her spoon. “They were drifting when he dies – “

 “Don’t,” Raleigh said quietly. “He and I have nothing in common but our grief and guilt,” and he turned back to the noticeboard, scanning the map.

Mako prodded him again. “You’ve got more in common than just about anyone else on this continent, and you remember how reluctant you were to get help from some stranger, right?” she asked, looking at him from the corner of her eyes. He frowned, and she shrugged, but blushed slightly. “I read your files,” she muttered into her coffee cup. “It seemed important, and you’re not exactly forthcoming – that’s another thing you have in common,” she said brightly.

“He tried to beat me up, if you don’t remember – “

 She threw him a withering glance. “Raleigh, you are an adult. You are a grown man and you have to deal with grown-up problems, like death and taxes, and homoerotic fights. This is going to sound inappropriate, but I’ve been spending too much time on Skype with Newt, so here goes. You’re not in love with me – “ and he made a noise in his throat, but kept silent. “You’re not in love with me,” she repeated, more quietly. “But I think you could be in love with him,” and he didn’t say anything, but traced the hem of his sleeve with his thumb.

“I hate him,” he managed, finally, without looking at her. “He’s an idiot with anger issues and daddy issues which are now even _worse_ and he’s an arrogant, impulsive moron and – “

 She handed him his coat; he shoved it on without another word, but glowered all the way to the railway station.

“Why can’t we drive?” he asked, petulantly, even though he knew why. She rolled her eyes at that.

The woman behind the counter – tall, with reddish-orange hair like copper which just touched her shoulders – was polite, but firm. “Even war heroes – and Mako – sorry, can I call you that? – have to have papers to travel. We’re still getting people back onto the system, and so many looters went wild, and drunkards fell into the seas, and women left their assholes of husbands to the kaiju, and rightly so – “ she sighed. “It’s protocol. I know, I know, the world after the end is a mass of red tape. I wasn’t born here,” and Mako nodded, drumming her fingers on the table.

“I wasn’t born in Hong Kong either,” she began, carefully, and the woman smiled. “Nubia,” she added, looking towards the name-tag on the woman’s chest. Nubia smiled. “I’m sorry, but we’re on our way to visit yet another war hero – “

 Raleigh tried not to smile at that. “Not like you play that card all the time, huh?” He had watched her use it on women with dark eyes in bars, and watched their eyes darken, and then pretended he wasn’t hideously proud of her when she swore in fluent Cantonese or French or Swahili at the men who tried to claim her for their own. He wasn’t in love with her, but he thought he could have been, if things were different.

 She elbowed him, and then poked his chest with her umbrella for good measure; he began to reconsider his stance on loving her. “I helped to save the world! Of course I’m proud,” and Nubia laughed aloud.

“I just watched and admired from afar,” she admitted, and then hid her head in her hands. “The train will leave in five minutes, and don’t tell anyone I told you so,” and she pushed their tickets and a scrap of paper across the desk.

“Did she just – “

 “Shut up,” Mako told him, blushing and shoving the paper deep into her coat pocket. “Shut _up_ ,” she said again, when he looked at her in delight.

Chuck was staying in a run-down apartment a few stops down on the train, and in the dingy stairwell there were flies buzzing in and out of the lights, which flickered and hummed with every step they took. Mako must have told them that they were coming, because he was sitting at the bottom of the stairs, wearing a shirt which was too big for him.

“I borrowed a shirt just before the world went tits up,” he said by way of explanation - and greeting. “Would have asked, but figured you were probably working out or crying. Joke’s on me now, though,” and when he moved forwards Raleigh could see that his eyes were reddened. “It feels like my soul is – tainted,” and his face twisted with the words. “Mind if we walk outside? I know it’s raining, but I –“

 Mako interrupted him. “I’m going to – make a phone call,” and she disappeared into the street outside. They followed, and Chuck looked after her.

“Is that just an excuse to –“ he began, but Raleigh shook his head.

“She just got a number off someone called Nubia, a lovely young lady who broke the law for us,” Raleigh said, nodded towards a tiny patch of grass down the street.

“I thought you and her – “

 “Well,” Raleigh began, “it’s hard to drift with someone after you’ve been wrenched from someone else. And I didn’t want to, and when I realised I _did_ want to, I let some information slip through the drift, which I’m not ashamed off in any way – it’s just that I’d wanted to keep it personal,” and he shoved a hand through his dampening hair; it had grown a little too long, now that he wasn’t being yelled at by Stacker for looking like a piece of shit on camera. Stacker had died a good death, he remembered, according to the news.

“No death is a good death,” Chuck said, and shrugged. “You – you ever feel like your mind is so _naked_ that anyone could just pluck out all your secrets? I have a few. Like, you were the only person I ever wanted to beat, and when I beat you up – “

 “You tried, and I pinned you down,” Raleigh interrupted, but leaned forwards so that he could pretend to accidentally brush Chuck’s hand with his own.

“I don’t think that’s how it went,” Chuck countered, trying to twist Raleigh’s arm in a mock half-Nelson; Raleigh rolled his eyes at that. He was spending too much time with Mako, he realised, and rolled his eyes again.

“You won because I needled you about Yancey,” Chuck said, quietly, still holding Raleigh’s arm. “I wish I hadn’t done that. I wish we could have been friends from the start, and maybe – “ he broke off, and let go of Raleigh. Tears were running unchecked down his face, and he sighed. “Rain’s in my eyes,” he said uncomfortably, and moved away slightly.

“You can build a new life for yourself. Away from this crappy apartment – “

Chuck laughed at that, tears running more quickly. “Do you really still not swear? You saw _Hong Kong_ attacked. You felt your brother die, and how do you let out that anger? You say “crap” and you punch sandbags, as if your fucking perfect body needed any more sculpting – “ and he was breathing heavily now, as heavily as he had done when Raleigh had fought him for the first time. “Ignore what I just said,” he added, furiously.

“You know,” Raleigh said, calmly. “Mako drew attention to something which I hadn’t noticed – feelings I had hidden, had forced them deep down. I suppose it was something my brother used to tease me about – the little brother, the cocky brother, the cock-loving brother – “ and he stopped, watching Chuck carefully.

“He never meant it viciously though, right? My dad – my dad wanted me to be the best, and fucking men wasn’t exactly doing me any favours, or so he thought. He went straight to the Jaeger Academy, yelling about how being in the cockpit didn’t involve any actual cocks – why did we end up with family with predilections for puns?” and he was still breathing heavily, and he reached out to hold Raleigh’s hand, tentatively. “It’s easier to talk about now that he’s dead. And I know he was proud of me before he died, because I intended to die with him, so it’s all – “

 “You’re not allowed to self-sacrifice any more, okay?” Raleigh said, grasping his hand more firmly. The rain was sliding down the back of his neck. “That shirt of mine is shitty quality, sorry – are you cold?” he asked, starting to shoulder off his coat.

“Why doesn’t it surprise me that you’re a fucking _gentleman_?” Chuck asked, and leaned in until they were sharing breaths. Raleigh closed the distance, kissing him as he had wanted to the first time he had opened the door of the Shutterdome; Chuck kissed back.

“Wanted to do this since I had your poster on my wall,” Chuck whispered against his mouth, and Raleigh tried not to laugh at that.

Chuck shrugged, pulling him closer. “My dad thought it was like, inspiration, but I worshipped the ground you walked on. And then I met you –“ and his kisses grew fiercer – “and you know, never meet your heroes, because you were a washed up loser as far as I could see,” and he drew back with a smile. “You’re still a loser,” and Raleigh rolled his eyes and kissed him again.

“I thought you were an arrogant jerk – “ he began, and Chuck bit down on his lip. “Oh, I was right,” he muttered, and tangled his fingers in Chuck’s damp hair. 


End file.
